Christine Murray, known professionally as Crissy Rock, was born in Sefton General Hospital, Smithdown Road, Liverpool on the 23rd of September 1958 to coal man Edward and Margaret (née Bryan) Murray. With her 3 younger brothers, they lived with Margaret's mum and father in their two bedroomed flat at 11D Windsor Gardens, Liverpool 8 on the fourth floor of the tenament block with Crissy attending St. Saviours Primary School on Crown Street.
After getting married in 1983 she began working the clubs as a stand-up comedian and then appeared nationwide when starring on the BBC's ' Bob Says Opportunity Knocks'. On the show she was given the highest marks for any comedy act on the series. Bob Monkhouse later said: "She has the art of timing and had me in stitches".
In 1991, following a period of ill health, Crissy returned to the stage, taking bookings on the club and cabaret circuit. Within months, she was voted runner up in the "Club Comedian of the Year" competition for the Merseyside region.
By 1993, her career had started to take off as she performed her act in clubs in Blackpool, Newcastle, Birmingham, Leeds, Sheffield, South Wales, and London. By 1994, Crissy Rock was bill-topping at the Central Pier and the famous Blackpool Tower.
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In Ladybird Ladybird 1994
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Whilst working the clubs as a stand-up comedian, she was spotted by 'Royle Family' star and fellow Liverpudlian, Ricky Tomlinson, who recommended her for a part in the Ken Loach film, 'Ladybird Ladybird'. This was her debut acting performance portraying Maggie Conlan in the award-winning 1994 film. Loach later recalled: "I cannot think of anyone I have worked with who shines more brightly than Crissy Rock". Her performance won her numerous awards, including 'Best Actress' at the Berlin Film Festival and also 'Best Actress' at London Film Critics Awards, and she also received a 'Best Newcomer' nomination in the Evening Standard Awards. Film critic Gene Siskel said on the CBS 'This Morning' programme, "No Oscar ceremony will be complete without a nomination for this brilliant performance". She next appeared in 'Dalziel and Pascoe' (1996) and in the TV film 'Brazen Hussies' (1996), alongside Julie Walters, Robert Lindsay, Jimmy Tarbuck and Julian Cleary before a major role in the TV drama series 'Springhill' (1996-97), as nosy neighbour Anita Cartledge for 14 episodes. In 1997, she played alongside Billie Whitelaw in the six-part BBC1 series 'Born to Run' and then in 1998 toured the UK in a drama called 'Shellfish', in which she played the pivotal female role of Pat. The Guardian newspaper praised her saying, "Pat is an utterly believable portrayal of a woman making a last grab at happiness." When she next appeared alongside Pete Postelthwaite in the BBC crime crime drama 'Butterfly Collectors' (1999), Nancy Banks-Smith, writing in The Guardian said, "Crissy Rock, just switch her on and watch her go." This was the first of two plays she featured in that year, the other was as Jean Walton in Jimmy McGovern's BAFTA nominated Channel 4 play 'Dockers' (1999) with Ken Stott and Ricky Tomlinson. More substantial roles followed as she was in 2 episodes of 'Peak Practice' (1995-2000) and played the regular role of the unnamed newsagent in the BBC1 drama series 'Clocking Off' (2000), before starring as Amber Costello during a four-week stint in Channel 4's soap opera 'Brookside' (2001). In 2002, she worked with Ricky Tomlinson again, when she played Madame Flo in his six-part BBC series 'Nice Guy Eddie' and also starred in a short film called 'Hero' (2002), which won the Hamburg and Dresden International Festivals in three categories and also the London International Film Festival for short subjects.
In the early 2000's, before she decided to settle there, she was on holiday in Benidorm and happened to be in Valentines Cabaret Bar. She got talking to the owner and said that she was a comedienne from the UK and would do a slot for him – he chuckled and said that "everyone from England is a comedian"! But she struck a deal and said that she would do 3 nights for free for him. Well, the place was absolutely jam packed and he couldn't get her back in quick enough. Unfortunately for him, she was heading back to the UK but returned and spent many years working a number of months at a time here. Following a five-year retirement from acting, Crissy was cast, without audition, as Sylvia Ryan in the two part 'Closure' episode of Lynda La Plante's 'Trial & Retribution' series (2007). The following year saw her cast in another of Plante's TV productions, 'The Commander' (2008). Her love for Benidorm was continued when she took on the role of loudmouthed hotel manageress Janey York in ITV's sitcom 'Benidorm' (2007-2015). As the sometimes shift manager at The Solana Resort, she was a surly Liverpudlian who doesn't take any nonsense from the guests. Over the years, she has also appeared in various feature films, including 'Under the Skin' (1997), 'Act of Grace' (2008) and 'A Boy Called Dad' (2009).
Crissy's excellence as a comedienne and actor is all the more remarkable when you consider the way her life has been plagued by trauma and turmoil. Never has there been a more honest and disturbing biography written than hers, 'The Heart Within Me Burns - From Bedlam to Benidorm'.
see also :- http://www.thefootballvoice.com/2024/04/a-history-of-liverpool-thespians-les.html
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